March 31, 2019 A recent phone call with an old friend led to a lengthy discussion on where to live in retirement. We touched all the bases: aging in place, independent living within a senior community, assisted living, and nursing care. The conversation paused, however, when I was asked the question: “How do you know when it’s time to go?”...
March 31, 2019 By: John Zeltmann Stan and I will both tell you we have one of the greatest jobs in the world. Helping people plan for their retirement while making financially sound decisions during their working years is an incredibly rewarding vocation. Daily, we get to help people figure out how to reduce tax bills, determine appropriate levels of...
March 31, 2019 JP Morgan’s 2019 Guide to Retirement includes a chart (see below) depicting levels of happiness and stress by age. For married Americans, happiness is lowest at age 46 and then continues to rise on an upward sloping curve all through the ‘golden’ years. (I wonder if it has anything to do with the kids’ finally going off...
March 31, 2019 It’s difficult to pass on reading an article with that title, but The Parent Trap is the title of a special report found in Barron’s. Not only was the title catchy, but the contents are very worthy of sharing. It’s difficult to summarize an article with this type of importance, so we’ll try to capture your attention...
Source: Direxion Funds March 31, 2019 ALMOST ALWAYS - Since 1950, there have been 60 different 10-year periods (i.e., the 10-years from 1950-59, 1951-60, 1952-61, . . . 2009-18). The S&P 500 has produced a positive total return result in 58 of the 60 decade-long periods, i.e., 97% of the time. The S&P 500 consists of 500 stocks chosen for...
February 15, 2019 Financial planning is part art and part science. The science portion relates to the use of academic studies to construct portfolios with various levels of risk that can be used to provide retirees a certain level of income for their lifetime. The art element is equally important because we deal with individuals, and each individual has unique...
February 15, 2019 By: John Zeltmann While it might be logical to assume that most parents (and grandparents) would like to pay for their children’s (or grandchildren’s) college education by funding 529 plans, it’s probably even more likely that most haven’t calculated how much money they’ll need to save each year in order to do so. (The exercise is frightening...
February 15, 2019 If you’re a senior on Medicare and you get sick while traveling abroad, let us try to help you calculate your out-of-pocket expenses should you get ill. The answer: Probably every dime you’re charged will come out of your pocket. As pointed out by Mary Beth Franklin writing in Investment News 1: “Medicare…stops at the US border...
February 15, 2019 A client recently emailed to suggest that we remind all our clients of the importance of umbrella insurance. It was a good suggestion. Regardless of your age, if you own any assets that you want to preserve, adding an umbrella policy helps to protect your assets. The more assets you have, the larger the umbrella policy you...
Source: Direxion Funds February 15, 2019 YEAR THREE IN THE WHITE HOUSE - This year (2019) is the 3rd year of Donald Trump’s 1st 4-year presidential term. The S&P 500 has been positive on a total return basis during 21 of the last 23 “ presidential 3rd-years,” i.e., 3rd-years dating back to 1927, including the last 19 in-a-row. The average...